The mission of the New Jersey Foundation for Aging works to improve and expand new and innovative approaches to the delivery of services that enable older adults to live in the community with independence and dignity through grantmaking and increasing society’s awareness to influence public policy.

The New Jersey Foundation for Aging was founded in 1998 to improve the quality of life of New Jersey’s older residents. This is achieved through four objectives:

¨    To support the creation and enhancement of innovative services in
New Jersey through fundraising, grantmaking and convening
public-private partnerships.

¨    To conduct public policy forums and research around issues relating to aging and educate key stakeholders and decision makers on recommendations for change.

¨    To educate professionals throughout the state on the latest issues and best
practices in providing services and engaging older persons.

¨    To enhance public awareness of aging issues and ways to age well in New Jersey.

This commitment supports the older persons of today and envisions ways to assist and engage the baby boomers that are tomorrow’s seniors.

The Foundation is a nongovernmental 501.c.3 nonprofit that derives its support for programs and operations from single donors, public and private foundations and corporate support.  Financial contributions from all levels are highly valued.

The Community Grant Program

The Community Grant Program began in the year 2000 and over its history has provided 32 grants to programs throughout the state of New Jersey.  Non-profit organizations in local communities are invited to participate in the grant application process which is an open, competitive process. 

The Community Grant Program provides support to programs which are considered innovative in meeting the needs of older persons or inspiring older person in local communities.  Innovation is defined as a new program or new growth of an existing program. Examples may include a new service designed to address an existing issue, a new model of delivering services, or a new intervention for a newly identified problem.  Here the definition is broad as innovation in one community of New Jersey may differ from another community.

A challenge match is required and described in the outline for proposal located below.  The match is intended to encourage applicants to connect with the public and private sectors of local communities and to encourage sustainability of funded initiatives. Letters of commitment of challenge funding or of intent to fund are requested.

Applicants are asked to obtain a letter of support from the Executive Director of the county Area Agency on Aging. This will help to inform the aging network about the project and will also help the applicant become aware of services in their community.

Priorities for Grant Program

The funding priorities of the Foundation include the provision of new and innovative approaches to basic services for home and community based care or new approaches to engaging older persons in the community. It is suggested that applications reflect service provision in one of the following areas.

q       health services

q       home services 

q       assistive services and/or devices 

q       intergenerational programming

q       specialized outreach

q       volunteer development and support services

q       work/employment services

q       innovative transportation solutions

More important than any one isolated service, however, is the interplay and integration of the services in an effective combination to keep older adults as independent as possible and integrated in our communities for as long as possible.  The latter affects the quality of life issues for individuals of all ages living in the community.

Application Process

Priority will be given to programs that demonstrate innovation in services, delivery, access and /or approach. 

The application consists of the following:

1)      A completed Grantee RFP cover sheet (which is provided in the guidelines). Information requested on the form includes:

·         organization’s name, mailing address, email, phone, fax and contact person for your organization 

·         NJ Charities Registration number and 501.c.3 IRS Number 

·         a 200 word abstract describing the use of the requested funds

·         the potential sources of Challenge Funds that you will be seeking.

2)      Grant Narrative – The grant narrative should address each of the following areas. The narrative is to be no longer than 5 pages in length.

a)      a brief history of your agency, its primary mission and major programs

b)      the problem or need to be addressed

c)      description of the geographic area of the program, the people that will be served by the project and the number of expected participants. It is important to clearly articulate the programmatic elements that make your program stand out as innovative

d)      the goals, objectives and timetable of the project

e)      describe affiliations and collaborative relations with other organizations that serve older adults in your area

f)       identify methods for measuring the effectiveness/outcomes of your project

g)      describe how the program will be sustained beyond the term of this grant.

3)      Project Budget and Sources of Challenge Funding- Applicants are asked to provide an income and expense budget for the proposed project. 

Income categories include the amount requested from the New Jersey Foundation for Aging, the cash resources used to fulfill the match or challenge funding and any in-kind resources. In-kind resources cannot be used for the required challenge funding.

A challenge match is required to encourage new philanthropic sources and commitments of new dollars and this support should not represent funds diverted from a previous program.

The applicant may include letters of support from potential donors to support challenge funding. Documentation of the sources of matching challenge funds will be required if an applicant receives an NJFA Community Grant.

Expense categories include: Personnel (salaries and fringe expenses), Consultant and Contracted Services, Equipment, Office Supplies, Office Expenses, Other Supplies, Education, Travel, Refreshments, Nutrition, Volunteer Recruitment, Outreach and Marketing, Training, Utilities, Evaluation and Other. No Indirect Expenses are allowable.

4)      List of key personnel involved in the provision or supervision of project services. Please include name, title, contact information and a brief 200 word biographical statement.

5)      Provide one copy of the organization’s most recent IRS Determination Letter. Applicants should not send 990 or audit statements.